Most people think of the Netherlands when they think of these flowers, yet they are native to Turkey and Persia. Europeans are said to have named them tulip, which is the Persian word for turbans.

During tulipomania in the Netherlands, variegated tulips were created by introducing a virus to the bulbs which created streaked flowers which weakened the plants, and essentially breaking them so they produced less offsets. These variations are no longer created by this mosaic virus, but are breed to have solid borders between colors. In France, where gardens had become fashionable, houses were traded for tulip bulbs. Fun Fact for locals, the first tulips are believed to have been grown in Lynn and Salem in Massachusetts!

Tulips have many meanings. In Persia they were used to celebrate the new year, called Nowruz, which takes place on the spring equinox. Red tulips mean deep love, while purple represents royalty. The petals are edible with the taste varies by variety and season.

For me, tulips are a symbol of rebirth. They emerge once the ground thaws, opening for the sun and closing for the moon. They embrace the day and rest for the next dawn. Tulips provide burst of color on rainy spring days, giving us hope for longer days ahead.

These tulips are linocuts printed with oil miscible inks on lokta paper. The center of the tulip petals are colored in by with archival ink. They have deckled edges and measure about 5” x 8”. Lokta paper is handmade in Nepal from fibrous inner bark of high elevation evergreen shrubs. It is a non wood forested product harvested from protected areas as it grows wild and regenerates to a fully grown plant in 5-7 years. Most lokta paper is made by women as men are moving to rural areas to find work.

Rebirth two is a limited edition of 5 prints. Each are titled, numbered and signed on the bottom.